Improvement in railway car-seats



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAB/IES M. ALLEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

liIMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY CAR-SEATS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, .TAKES M. ALLEN, of the city of Washington, in theDistrict of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSeats for Railway Cars, of which the followingis a specification Myinvention consists in hin ging the head-rests so that they will form theinner face of the back and hold themselves closed, and allow either tobe unfolded, while the other forms a portion of said back also, inconstructing the frame of the headrest of thin elastic bars and wirefilling, so as to allow them to be bent to conform to the curve of theseat-back, whether folded or unfolded.

In the drawing, Figure l represents a car-seat with the head-rests allfolded inwardly. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in line w zr, the back ofthe seat being at one end, and Fig. 3 is a similar view, the back beingturned to the opposite end. Fig. et represents an end view of thescat-back and its hinged head-rests.

A A are the side pieces of a railroad-car seat, held together bysuitablebrace-rods orbars, B,two of which, B', are so arranged under theends of the centrally-pivoted seat C as to support the same in aninclined position, in whatever direction the seat may face. D is thereversible back, pivoted, a-s usual, to the center of the arm-rests Eand be- Y To the upper and lower ends of this back are hinged head-restsF, the width of which is justone-half of that of the back, and which arearranged to fold inwardly to the center of the inner face of the back,which face they form when folded up, as shown in Fig. 1. Thesehead-rests may be formed of a metal frame filled with springs j' ornet-work f', and may be either merely covered with the same material asthe seat, or may be stuffed and covered like the seat, as may be deemedmost suitable. They are hinged by means of knuckle-j oints el, so thatwhen thrown up and back, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, their shoulders crest on the edge of the back, and they are thus held securely in placewithout further fastening, while they are held in position when not usedand folded inwardly over the back by the frictional contact of theircontiguous ends at the center line of the same. In order to adapt thesehead-rests F to curved backs of car-seats or chairs, their frames may beconstructed with elastic horizontal bars or pieces c and elastic lillingf or f', so arranged that the head-rest may,

when folded down, be bulged inwardly to conform to the shape of theback, and when extended as a rest be bulged in the opposite direction,or outwardly, so as to continue the curved shape of the back.

It will be readily understood that these headrests may be made in onepiece at each end of the seat, or, as shown in the drawing, in twoindependent pieces, so that either of two persons occupying one scat.together may use a head-rest independently of the other, and withoutdisturbing the same. It is equally obvious that, no matter to what sidethe seat is made to face by the reversal of the back, there are alwaystwo headrests which may be thrown upward for use.

It is common for men riding in cars to place their feet against the backof the seat in front of them, thereby soiling the same, and for thisreason I fold the head-rests inwardly, so that part of the sameagainst-which the head is resting when they are in use shall always becovered out of sight when they are folded down, thus insuringcleanliness and preventing them from being worn and spoiled when not inuse.

The upholstering of these head-rests must, of course, be done in such amanner that no sharp edges or ridges can hurt the persons occupying theseat, but they must be rounded and smooth. The seat O is pivotedcentrally so as to move entirely free, andwithout being attached to theback in any way; in fact, being entirely independent of the same,although I use the weight of the back D to reverse it. The braces Bbeing placed parallel t0 each other, but below the horizontal centerline of the seat, the latter will, when in contact with either brace, bein a somewhat inclined position, in such a manner as to throw back thebody of the occupant and slightly elevating his knees.

It is well known how uncomfortable it is to be obliged to sit for anylength of time on a perfectly level seat, and how grateful abackwardly-inclinin g position is. My pivoted seat being always held inan inclined position, is always firmly supported at the center and atone endthat is to say, at two points-while the weight of the back aidsto keep it in place.

In reversing the back its weight, on comingin contact with the end ofthe seat, causes the latter to reverse also, and, as the seat and backare not connected or attached in any way to each other, there is nothingto get out of order or to refuse to operate by reason of rusting, Svc.

The great advantage of my improvements is, perfect simplicity andoperation Without the use of any springs, catches, or other mechanismwhich might get out of order and require constant attention, While theobject aimed at is accomplished to perfection.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The head-rests F, of the described construction7 hinged and arrangedso that when folded they will form a supplementary front to the back andallow either to be unfolded While the other lies iiush with and forms apart of said back, as described.

2. A hinged head-rest frame, made of elastic bars c and Wire filling ff,to admit of being bent to conform to the curve of the back, or to bebulged out to either side, Whether said headrests be folded or unfoldedupon their hinges, as described.

JAS. M. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

ALEXR. A. C. KLAUcKE,

A. E. H. JOHNSON. (121)

